Season the Third
by hbrackett
Summary: One possible continuation of the canon storyline, because I am psychic and can see into Jeff Davis' mind and steal his thoughts. How will the Pack deal with the aftermath of the epic battle with the Kanima and the Hunters? What new threat from the Alpha Pack looms on the horizon? Will Lydia file a restraining order against Stiles? Will Peter try to go out with Melissa again?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N – Once again, I am left hanging at the end of a Teen Wolf Season wondering what will happen next…so I had to write about it.**_

Season 3

"Well, well, well…what have we here?" growled the tallest of the Pack that surrounded them. Six werewolves with crimson eyes surrounded them. A freaking Pack of _Alphas._

Erica and Boyd looked at each other fearfully. For the hundredth time, they regretted abandoning Derek and Isaac and wished they had just laid low until all of this had blown over.

"Looks like two Betas on the run. Where are you headed…or what are you running from?" asked a female. Her crimson eyes lingered long on Erica before switching over to Boyd.

"Hunters…they captured us, tortured us…we only just got away." Boyd told them, still panting heavily.

The male spat on the ground.

"Their crimes will be punished…and it will be legendary even among our kind. Where is your Alpha? Did they kill him?"

Erica blanched at the tone. It was useless to lie.

"We…we don't know. He was alive when we left his Pack."

The Alphas growled.

"Omegas…do you know what the punishment is for abandoning your Pack?" asked the male leader. He approached them, claws extended, fangs protruding from a lengthening jaw.

The female got in his way and shoved him backward.

"William! It is not for us to punish these whelps. We will take them back to their Alpha and see how he handles them. It will tell us what we need to know about him…if he is truly strong or a mere pretender."

William growled at her.

"It is a waste of time. I already know the Hale Pack is weak. There are but a few, and they delayed their vengeance against the Hunters for too long! The whelps will slow us down, they reek of weakness!"

Boyd found himself getting angry. Between the Hunters, the Kanima and all the other crazy shit he'd been through lately, he was damned if he was going be called weak on top of it.

He launched himself at William, using every technique Derek taught him as he dodged the surprised Alpha's claws and snapping teeth. He raked the Alpha twice with his own claws, and used his own formidable strength to lift the Alpha over his head and hurl him into a tree.

One of the other males moved to attack, but was tackled by Erica who was roaring with animal fury. She too had been pushed well past her limits. Erica was pulled off by the female who had spoken, while two of the other males pulled Boyd off of William.

William got to his feet and approached Boyd, who growled and snarled at him.

"You are strong for an Omega. Your Alpha was a fool to let you go."

William put out his hand.

Boyd looked down at it.

"Let Erica go and I'll think about shaking your hand."

William laughed.

"Simone, let the young she-wolf go."

"All she had to do was ask…politely." Simone responded. She released Erica.

Boyd walked away from William and embraced Erica. William still had his hand out.

"I _said_ I'd think about it. The answer's no." Boyd growled.

William laughed again.

"Whatever your other faults, cowardice is not among them. But the fact remains that you two abandoned your Pack. Why did you do it?"

"The Hunters gained control of a Kanima. There was no fighting it. It was too powerful. We tried to beat it several times, and it just kept kicking our asses."

William's glowing red eyes widened in shock.

Simone approached, her eyes seeming to burn through them.

"I think…you had better come with us."

{}{}{}{}

Jackson sat on the bench and stared out across the field. The memories had come back, all of them. He knew everything he had done while under both Matt's and Gerard's control. He avoided Stiles, Scott…even Lydia, who had seen him as that monster and still told him she loved him. Alienation was a feeling he had his whole life…the feeling that he was not a real person like everyone else who had their real parents and knew where they had come from. That paled in comparison to how Jackson felt now…he was a killer that had put everyone he knew in danger. He had even attacked his best friend. He couldn't bear to look at them, couldn't imagine why they would want to be within a hundred miles of him.

A pair of shadows fell across him. Jackson closed his eyes and chided himself for not scenting them sooner.

"If I wanted to kill you just now, I could have done so easily." said Derek.

"You still could." Jackson responded. He bared his neck.

Derek rolled his eyes.

"Jackson, enough. None of what happened was your fault. I was the one that bit you-"

"You bit me because I never stopped harassing you for it. You bit me because I put myself out there to be bitten. I know why you did it for the others…their lives sucked. No offense, Isaac."

Isaac shrugged. "None taken, asshole."

Jackson ignored the insult. "I had everything anyone could want…but I just had to have the wolf too. I didn't deserve it…and look what happened, Derek. You were right when you said I was a snake. Even if I _was_ controlled…those people would be alive if I had just learned to appreciate what I had."

Jackson looked down, his face turning red. He fought down the tears he knew were coming. He fought, but the battle was over before it started.

"_Look what I did! God, why didn't you all just kill me? Why am I still here and all those people are dead?"_

He looked up at Derek, his face twisted with self-hatred and despair…a look Derek recognized. After all, he had seen it in the mirror nearly every day for six years.

Derek sighed. "Actually, we tried to kill you. Several times. You just kept surviving. Makes me think there has to be a reason for it. You're alive…hell, _we're_ alive because there was at least one person who cared about you enough to get through to you. One person you cared about more than yourself. That's one more person than I gave you credit for. If you were really and truly evil, you _would_ be dead…or we would."

"Lydia should hate me…you all must hate me after what I did. If I told my parents, they would hate me too."

"I hated you _before_ all this crap." Isaac chimed in.

Derek glared at him. "You're not helping, Isaac."

"Let me finish. I hated you because I…was jealous. You had the life I always wanted…and I'm not talking about the Porsche or the money. Your Dad and Mom love you. Lydia loves you. I hated you because you had the things I wanted, and didn't seem to care…you didn't even see how _lucky_ you were. When I became a wolf, it was awesome because I finally had something you didn't…something you _really_ wanted and didn't get even after the Bite. But when I saw what happened to you…what people were doing to you…I felt sorry for you for the first time ever. I don't hate you anymore. In fact, I think I could like you. But you need to take a lesson from Derek and think about what gifts you have, instead of wasting your life thinking about what you don't…like I did."

Derek glanced sharply at Isaac. The teenager was far too observant for his own good.

Isaac pulled Jackson to his feet, giving him a rough hug.

"Okay, enough bromance." Derek growled.

Jackson looked at him hopefully.

"Don't even think about it." Derek advised.

Jackson looked so wounded and stricken that before Derek even knew what he was doing he found himself hugging Jackson as well.

Derek pushed Jackson gently away and looked him in the eyes.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again. You're with _me_ now. With us. Is that something you want?"

Jackson hesitated…then nodded.

Derek spoke to Isaac without taking his eyes off of Jackson.

"Isaac, if you don't delete that picture from your phone, I'm going to see that it's flushed down a toilet…after first passing through your digestive system. Got it?"

"Okay, okay…" muttered Isaac resentfully.

{}{}{}{}

The McCalls were having lunch in the Beacon Hills Burger Barn. They only came here for serious mother-son talks. The last time was when Scott had found out about his parents impending divorce.

"And that's everything that happened." Scott finished. He downed the last of his burger and milkshake while Melissa picked at her salad.

"So this Peter character is the one that bit you? The guy I went on a date with?" Melissa asked, amazed. She muttered something under her breath about always attracting losers.

"Yeah. That's why I never wanted to tell you what happened…between Peter and Gerard, I had both sides threatening to get to me through you. I wanted to protect you. Allison already lost her mother, aunt and grandfather over this, and Derek lost his whole family…except now Peter's back. You're all I have."

"I don't know what to say. Half of me wants to yell and scream at you for keeping secrets, and the other half is ashamed about how I reacted when I found out. I am so sorry about that, Scott." Tears shone in Melissa's eyes. "And to think, I've been all over you about your _grades_."

"Mom, it's okay. It's a lot to lay on you all at once. Danny's mother took a whole month to get used to it when he told her he was gay. _You_ took a week to get over me being a werewolf. That's pretty impressive."

"I _wish_ you were only gay…oh, Scott you know what I mean."

Scott rolled his eyes.

"Allison's family have known about werewolves for years, and they couldn't accept it. I still can't believe Mrs. Argent killed herself rather than be one of us. No wonder Allison flipped out…"

"So, you two are taking a break?" Melissa asked gently.

"That's one way of looking at it." Scott mumbled.

"You're in danger by yourself, aren't you? As an…Omega?" she asked.

"I'm not alone, Mom." Scott insisted.

"Honey, Jackson and Lydia, Allison and Stiles…they're all dealing with their own problems right now. Even Derek and his…_Pack_…are you sure it wouldn't be better to have his protection?"

Scott shook his head.

"With Derek, there's always a price to pay. He doesn't trust, he uses people, even sacrifices them when necessary. It's just as dangerous being part of his Pack as it is being alone. I will never accept him as my Alpha until he learns that it's a two-way street. That's why Boyd and Erica left. You know, Derek thought _I_ was an Alpha, although everyone in my Pack was human. But I trusted them, and they trusted me…well, except for Jackson who was the Kanima, and almost got killed by Derek because of me…and Lydia, who we never really told the truth to, which allowed Peter to come back…then Allison, who sided with her family against me after she lost her mother…and Stiles, who I hung up on when he was calling me for help…"

Scott looked down at his empty plate. "Holy crap, I _am_ just like Derek…"

He put his face in his hands. "How did this happen, Mom? How could I do this to my friends?"

Melissa looked at him sadly. "You said it yourself, Scott. Trust is a two-way street. You didn't even trust your mother, though I don't blame you for that. The only way people can really help each other is through trust. It can't be given, though. It has to be earned. Maybe this experience has taught all of you what lying and betrayal can do to even the closest of families."

"I just wish there were another choice. Someone that could lead _all_ of us."

{}{}{}{}

The Alpha Pack brought Eric and Boyd back to their camp, and gave water and some salted meat to the renegade Betas. Simone showed them to their tent, and suggested they get some rest afterward. The next morning when they awoke, they found the Alphas sitting around the campfire roasting some freshly skinned rabbits.

Simone called them over. The morning light shone off of her chestnut brown hair and bright green eyes. They remained focused on Erica, giving Boyd only brief glances before flicking back to the blonde.

William's hair was as fiery as Lydia's, and he was both taller and more well-defined than even Derek. His eyes were a startling blue, clear and direct.

The two other males were Caine (who had a distinct French accent) and Darius, clearly brothers in their near identical looks. Both sported blond hair so light it was almost white, contrasting sharply with their dark eyes. Caine was the heavier of the two, almost a match for William in the muscle department.

Regina was a pale raven-tressed dark-eyed beauty who seemed to be in charge of cooking the meals for the group. She rarely spoke, and when she did, her accent seemed almost Cajun.

The last was Em, a stunningly beautiful Haitian girl that the others treated with respect bordering on fear. She had a look on her face that Boyd had only ever seen on Xena, the Warrior Princess. It was cold, calculating, and told the world that if it wanted to get the jump on her, it had better make sure it knew damned well what it was doing, since there would be no second chance.

Boyd and Erica ate in silence while the Alpha Pack stared at them. Erica ignored them and tore into her food with relish, while Boyd was a bit put off and ate only a little.

"You were very brave to go up against a Kanima. Some of our strongest wolves would have run if faced with such a creature, and to do so is not cowardice…it is wisdom. Kanimas are nearly invincible, and their strength is legend. They have no fear or remorse, save that of their master…and such masters rarely have any. This Pack defeated one many years ago, and it took all of our combined strength. Now we know what you were running from. Where, pray tell, were you running _to_?" asked Em.

"We were looking for another Pack. We thought we heard one, but it was only the Hunters trying to trick us." Boyd told her.

"That trick is an old one. But now you have found a Pack (or rather _we_ have found _you_), and there is none stronger. What would you have happen?"

Erica spoke up next.

"Teach us to be strong, how to fight." Erica growled. Simone nodded at her approvingly.

"What say you, Boyd?" Em asked, staring at him intensely.

"The same. I'm strong…but not enough. I want to make it so that the next Hunter or goddamn freak monster that comes at me will die, in as much pain as I can dish out."

Em's lips curled upward in a smile. She turned to William and Simone.

"Perhaps we were mistaken. Perhaps it is their Alpha that is to blame. He sounds weak, maybe he is unworthy of the power."

"We will find out soon enough." grunted William.

"Did he not try to train you?" asked Simone.

"He didn't have enough time. He did the best he could. The Kanima appeared right after we were turned. We even captured it once in its human form, without even realizing who we had." Erica felt the need to defend Derek. Whatever else he was, he definitely wasn't weak.

"It is honorable of you to defend him." spoke Regina. She looked impressed that they had captured a Kanima.

"Why did he turn you? Did you go to him, and ask him for the bite?" asked Caine.

Boyd shook his head. "No, he came to us. Told us what being a werewolf could do for us. Our lives kind of sucked."

Caine shook his head, and spat. "He did it to increase his own power. Would you change your decision, knowing what you know now?"

Boyd knew it was pointless to lie. "Yeah."

"I wouldn't." Erica said defiantly.

"Turning a human is more than picking desperate faces out of a crowd. In the past, humans would seek us out. If we judged them worthy, they were granted the gift. If not, they were destroyed. Did no one in this Pack seek the bite willingly?" Darius looked hard at Boyd and Erica.

"Jackson did. He became the Kanima."

"Your Alpha…has much to answer for." hissed Regina.

{}{}{}{}

Stiles showed up at Lydia's house uninvited…which was hardly surprising, considering the only time she had invited him she had been under the spell of Derek's madman uncle. Then, as now, he carried a large box. This one was unwrapped, however.

"Hey." He said wittily when she opened the door.

She gazed at him for a long time. "Come in."

They went up to her room. He placed the box on her dresser. She sat on her bed, while he took the pink computer chair across from her. He looked at it with distaste.

"I'm fucked." he began, smiling.

"Who's the lucky guy?" she asked sweetly.

"Very funny. No. What I mean to say is…it's obvious that fate and other cosmic forces all agree that you are in love with Jackson and he is in love with you. If it had been anything less than epic Romeo and Juliet style passion, we would all have died the other night. The werewolf gods have told me in no uncertain terms that you and I…will never happen."

"Stiles, I sent you that memo in third grade."

Stiles looked down at the floor. His eyes were really red, as were the unbruised parts of his face. "Fuck that."

Lydia frowned. "What?"

"I said, fuck that. What I feel for you is real. God, Lydia, I know it is. It can't be anything but real love. I have never looked at another woman my whole life. It's like they don't exist. Who is Fate to tell me I've been wrong all this time? Fuck the werewolf gods. _You_ tell me, and you tell me straight. Have you ever felt _anything_ towards me? The night of the Formal, I saw something. The night of the party, I saw something. When you were crying in your car, I _know_ I saw something. Either I'm a delusional psycho stalker and you should call my dad and take out a restraining order against me (its funny that Jackson had to get one first) or tell me that there is _one chance in a million_ that you could love me back!"

Lydia was quiet for several minutes before responding.

"Before I answer that question, I want you to think about something. If I said 'yes'.._if_ I said 'yes'…it would take cruel bitchery to its highest possible level. You would wait around for me, hoping for Jackson to find himself on the wrong end of a wolfsbane bullet so that the path would be clear for you. Even if that happened, you would spend the rest of your life knowing you were my _second_ choice. You would always know that I preferred Jackson over you…and it would destroy you. You would feel inferior to his memory in a way you never felt when he was alive. On the other hand, if I answered 'no', what would you do?"

"Give up and move on. I'd do the cruelest thing I could do…and find someone to be _my_ second best."

Lydia stared at him levelly. "Well, since I care more about you than this hypothetical person, I'm going to say 'no'. I love Jackson."

"But would that be the truth, Lydia? I'm not a freaking werewolf. I can't tell."

"Stiles…does it make a difference?"

Stiles got up. He pointed to the box. "That's yours. It always was."

He left. She was able to wait until the front door closed before she started to cry.

Stiles stood in front of the Martin residence and waited. In a moment, Scott was beside him. They began to walk towards his Jeep.

"Well?" the twitchy teen asked.

"Stiles…I know I agreed to do this, but I think Lydia is right…"

Stiles grabbed a surprised Scott by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the Jeep, denting it. Derek would have been proud.

Stiles drew back a fist, his face twisted in anger.

"Don't you dare. Don't you _fucking dare_ hold out on me! _Was she telling the truth when she said 'no'_?

Scott was too surprised to fight back…his wolf was as dormant as if he were strolling through a field hand-in-hand with Allison.

"Jesus, Stiles! All right! She was lying!"

Stiles blinked a few times, then let Scott go. He smiled. Then he started to laugh. Scott looked at him worriedly when he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.

Scott looked down at him.

"But she was telling the truth when she said she loved Jackson."

Stiles stopped laughing.

"So…she loves _both of us?_"

Scott was silent. He felt he had done enough damage.

Lydia might have looked out the window to watch him leave…and if she had, she would have seen Scott and known instantly what Stiles had done. If she had, future events might have taken a very different course. But Fate is a powerful force, and Lydia instead walked over to the box that Stiles had left for her.

In it were the keepsakes of a lovesick boy kept and stored for a period of years. There were grade school marble notebooks with stick figure drawings of the two of them holding hands, usually enclosed by wobbly hearts with arrows through them. There were really bad attempts at poetry, done in junior high judging from the dates. Pictures of them at the Formal taken by the photography geeks littered the bottom. The final item was a diary, written by Stiles…and it contained all of his thoughts and musings on her, compiled since the day he first noticed her. She read a few of these…they were unfailingly complimentary, even when they mentioned Jackson. More often than not, Stiles wished he had Jackson's looks or skills so he could hope to get Lydia to notice him. His observations of her were eerily accurate, not merely the ravings of an obsessed stalker. The fault at their failure to connect was always laid at his own feet, and never hers. He never even criticized her choice of Jackson, thinking that it was natural for the two of them to connect, but he was upset with Jackson for not treating her the way she deserved to be. He had a major point there, at least until recently.

The last entry was dated today, and read simply 'I know what answer I'm going to get…but I'll still love you forever. If you need me…I'm there. Yours…Stiles.'

The ache in her chest was painful. Stiles terrified Lydia…if only because she knew how ridiculously easy it would have been for her to fall in love with him, if there had been no Jackson. There were even one or two instances where it could have gone his way. The night she he found her crying in her car…she had thought to herself that if he came back, then she would give up on Jackson and give Stiles a real shot. But he hadn't come back. If what she felt for Jackson was true, as she knew it to be, why did she feel for Stiles as well? Why did she love two men?

{}{}{}{}

"The Alpha Pack is coming. Have you decided what to do, Derek?" asked Peter pleasantly.

"No. I'm not strong enough to challenge them. I need _three_ Betas to reach the next level, and six more after that to reach the peak of my powers."

"You have Jackson and Isaac…and me." Peter smiled.

"Cut the crap, Peter. You aren't a Beta, you don't want to be in my Pack, and I wouldn't accept you if you did. You would do nothing to increase my strength…hell, you draining me during your little resurrection ceremony is still slowing me down. One day, you'll have to tell me how you managed that."  
"Always have a backup plan, Derek. Even Scott learned _that_ lesson. You were right about him…he _is_ Alpha material. I knew I made the right choice that night in the woods. Ahh, seeing Gerard's blood and guts turn to corruption while we watched is one of the highlights of my life…right up there with tearing out Kate Argent's throat."

"How did murdering Laura fit in there? Was that good for you too?" Derek asked, growling low. "I know ripping _your_ throat out was good for me."

Peter's eyes flashed a pale crimson. "I paid the debt for that, Derek. A life for a life. You took your vengeance, and profited from it. By our law, I am exempt from further retribution on your part."

Derek laughed. "Our law? You and I are the only law left, except for the Pack that is coming for us. They may decide we both die, regardless of the justification for what we did."

"Which brings us back to the original point. You need a third Beta!" snarled Peter.

They both sniffed the air, and looked towards the door to the abandoned railway station.

"I'd like to volunteer."

Peter smiled, even as Derek scowled at their visitor.

"I always knew I was right about you." Peter told Stiles.

Stiles looked at Peter witheringly.

"I'd still say no…to _you._"

The expressions on Peter and Derek's faces switched places.

"Why do you want the bite, Stiles?" asked Derek.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't compete with a werewolf. I can't protect the people I care about from Hunters and monsters."

"Does Lydia have anything to do with this?" Derek asked suspiciously.

"Of course. She's one of the people I care about. Duh."

Derek hesitated. He strongly suspected there were ulterior motives behind this sudden change of heart by Stiles. However…he needed another Beta. Badly.

"Stiles…Isaac and Jackson have faith and trust in me as a leader. Boyd and Erica didn't, and they paid the price for it. They are on their own and at the mercy of a powerful Pack. Before that, Hunters captured them as easily as if they were children. They almost died. If I do this, I need to know you have trust in me as your Alpha, and won't abandon me when things look bad. Do you?"

Stiles was quiet. Derek was Glaring, while Peter looked amused.

"No. I don't have trust in you as the Alpha you are now. But…you _could_ be someone I could trust. You could be a great Alpha. But it means trusting me too, and listening for once instead of scowling and threatening me all the time. I've shown you what I'm capable of, Derek. So have Isaac…and even Jackson, in an evil sort of way. I've saved your ass as many times as you saved mine. Don't take me for granted. If you can do that…I'll follow your lead no matter where it goes. But my first loyalty is always going to be to my father…and then my friends."

Derek frowned. "So as your Alpha, I'm third in your priorities? I'm not sure I like that, Stiles."

"God, you're dense. Be my _friend_, Derek, and only my Dad will beat you out."

Derek actually looked abashed.

Peter chuckled. "You would be his first, I think."

Stiles looked at him sourly.

"Where do _I _fit in your loyalties?" Peter asked.

"How many people are on planet Earth?" Stiles asked.

"Nearly seven billion." Peter said, confused.

"Then you rank seven billionth."

Derek smiled. "Stiles, are you absolutely sure about this?"

Stiles thought of Lydia for the briefest moment. "Yeah."

"Then take your shirt off and come here."

Stiles moved to obey, then glanced at Peter. "Could you not look? You're kind of creepy."

Peter growled and stalked out of the station.

"Keep that up, and you'll become my favorite Beta." Derek chuckled.

Stiles pulled off his shirt and hung it over a bench. He walked into the train car and leaned over, exposing his side while he gripped the steel support pole in both hands.

"Stiles? If you become a Kanima, I'm going to have to kill you. Do you have any unresolved issues I need to know about?"

Stiles had his eyes squinched shut. "I do, but I'm working on them."

"Fair enough." Derek's voice devolved into a bestial growl.

Stiles screamed once, long and loudly.

{}{}{}{}

Allison and her father found no trace of Gerard. He seemed to have vanished into thin air. When they had given up, they sent the remaining team of Hunters back to their headquarters for reassignment. Chris informed the organization that due to the multiple losses his family had suffered, they were taking an indefinite furlough. Chris told them of Gerard's betrayal, and that he was to be executed on sight.

Allison took a leave of absence from school until she could process the events of the last few months.

The night after she broke up with Scott, her father called her down to dinner, and she knew that the time had come to talk about the choices they would be making for the future. The dinner was cooked by domestic help specifically employed by Hunter families, and who could be counted on for discretion. After three bites, Allison realized that her mother had been one of the world's greatest cooks by far. She pushed her plate away.

"Dad…I don't want to be a Hunter." she said it, watching for his reaction.

Chris nodded as if he expected this. He stared down at his own plate, and moved his food around like a child trying to avoid eating vegetables.

"You know, when I was growing up…my mother was the leader of our clan. We followed her lead…but it was never like this. We had the Code…and we lived by it. We destroyed some truly evil monsters…not just werewolves either. Many fed on humans for sport, or even to survive. Your Aunt Kate and I once killed a shape-changing monster that fed solely on children. It used to hide in closets, or under beds and terrorize them before killing them. I remember the kid we saved from it…he hugged us, with tears coming down his face. 'You killed the Boogeyman!' he kept saying over and over. I was never so _proud_ to be a member of this family as I was at that moment. And now…I've never been more ashamed."

Chris looked at his daughter. "I knew your mother didn't have to do it. I knew she could have lived, and never hurt anyone…that didn't deserve it. Her will was iron, I don't care if there were _six _full moons in the sky, she would never have hurt an innocent person. But I let that evil bastard get in my head. I let him force me to lose the most magnificent woman in the whole world. And for what? Nothing. The Code went bad under my father. It started with Kate, and the Hale fire. I finally know whose orders it was she was acting under. He turned good Hunters into vicious, brutal killers. They forgot they were there to _protect _and believed they were there to _kill_. Even your mother bought into his hate, and accepted what she felt she had to do to herself without question. But who winds up putting all of us to shame? Who always tried to do the right thing and protect his friends and family? A boy that I once threatened to kill because he loved my daughter…a boy who risked his life for her over and over again, fighting enemies on all sides."

"A boy I betrayed over and over again." Allison said softly.

Chris shook his head. "If you want to be angry at someone who fell for that old bastard's lies, you could start with me. I cost this family my wife…your mother. What I'm saying…is that I don't want to be a Hunter all that much either."

"What are we going to do, Dad? I feel like I don't know anything anymore!" Allison said shrilly.

"Honey, I have dragged you all over this country…but now you're the leader of this family. You decide. If you want to stay, we stay. If you want to go, we'll go. Just let me know. Whatever you want…I'll try to make it happen."

The maid poked her head in.

"Anybody want a cookie?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N – Some readers have reviewed or PM'ed that they didn't think Stiles would go for the bite. I want to remind them that Peter detected Stiles lying when he said 'No' in the 1st season, and there were several moments in the 2nd where he bemoans the fact that he 'can't do what Scott can', as well as moments where he is in obvious agony that he cannot protect his father or Lydia…not to mention the fact that he now has to live in Jackson's shadow along with Scott's. Plus all of the female characters in the show either are werewolves or are dating one…so how can he compete? I don't know that Stiles will ever get the bite on the show, but I think it is definite that he will seek it out in the future. Oh, and btw…just because Stiles got bitten in this fic, doesn't necessarily mean he will become a werewolf…**_

Stiles thanked the gods that his father was at the station when he arrived home. The bite was burning in his side; he had never felt pain like this before in his life. He was starting to wonder if this had been one of his more brilliant ideas. He pulled his shirt off and staggered over to the bathroom mirror. He was extremely pale, and the bite was still oozing blood…and a clear blue almost gelatinous substance. At least it wasn't black.

There was a roaring echo in his ears, and the next thing he knew he was on the floor, having somehow avoided cracking his head open on the bathtub or john. Stiles managed to get his cell phone out of his pocket and sent Scott off a quick text. Then the blackness overtook him.

{}{}{}{}

Stiles awoke on a cold steel table in what he recognized as Dr. Deaton's examination room. Deaton and Scott were both staring down at him.

"Stiles, what the fuck did you do?" Scott practically shouted at him.

Stiles' head was still pretty foggy, and he had trouble forming words.

"Made Derek bite me. I don't _feel_ like a werewolf…Scott, ask Derek if I tasted funny..."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Are you crazy? _Wh_y did you ask him for the bite?"

"Jackson. Bastard has everything now. Looks, money, the girl _and_ the wolf. He'll be an Alpha in a week at this rate. Grand Alpha. Grand Poobah Maharajah Alpha. Hail Jackson!" His eyes closed.

Scott and Deaton looked at each other.

"That's not a normal bite. Please tell me he's not becoming a Kanima!" Scott pleaded.

"I don't think so…but a Kanima is not the only possible outcome. Kanimas are created when the victim has no sense of identity, which is why they are easily bent to their Master's will. Stiles knows very well who he is…but he isn't happy about it. That could definitely affect how the bite changes him. Derek really needs to learn that you can't go around just biting _anybody_."

"Well, believe me I'm going to tell him that!" Scott made for the door. "I'm going to call Derek, and…" he stopped and turned back.

"What?" asked Deaton.

"I don't trust Derek. He talked me into bringing him to Jackson and then tried to kill him. I _won't_ let him do that to Stiles! Especially when we don't know what's going to happen. Stiles might just be immune like Lydia."

"We should know more by the morning. Get some rest."

Scott nodded, and dropped into a chair after calling his mother and letting her know what happened. Of course she panicked and wanted to get Stiles to the Emergency Room, but Scott convinced her that Deaton was better qualified to care for him. She told him she would head over and see for herself. Scott sighed and closed the phone, remembering the blissful days when he would have just lied to keep her from worrying.

When Melissa barged through the door of the animal clinic, she immediately faced off with Dr. Deaton.

"Ms. McCall, a rare pleasure to see you!" he gave her his most charming smile.

"Can it. I meant to get around to you one of these days. You _knew_ my son was a werewolf and never told me!" Melissa fumed.

"That decision I left with Scott. As you must know, there were quite a few things going on at the time."

"He's just a _boy_, Alan!" Melissa retorted.

"Scott's matured a great deal, and that is due to both his experiences and the guidance _you_ gave him as a parent. You sell him short…and yourself as well…if you can call him a mere boy."

Melissa's eyes started to water. "He shouldn't have had to deal with this! Why does everything happen to…" She calmed herself with a visible effort. "I'm sorry. Let me see Stiles, please.

"Right this way…"

{}{}{}{}

Stiles floated in a pleasant limbo with pink fluffy clouds everywhere. The pinkness reminded him of Lydia's room, and from there his anguish over her choice of Jackson came back. He began mumbling, too low to awaken Scott who had fallen into a light doze.

"Jackson. Jack-ass, more like. Stupid jock. Jockson. Jock-ass. Always gets everything. I get nothing…I get Jack…haha that's funny. I would totally make a better Jackson than he would. _I_ should be Jackson, not Jackson."

The bite began to burn him again.

"Owie. That hurts. Jackson's bite went away. Why is mine still here? Don't want to be me. Want to be Jackson."

A tingling sensation began to wind its way outward from the wound through the rest of his body. It felt really good, and the pain from his wound seemed to dwindle and fade. There was a brief sensation of his flesh actually crawling as if a legion of ants were trapped under his skin…but then even that faded away.

Alan Deaton and Melissa McCall entered the examination room. Scott was asleep on his chair. They looked over at the examination table.

"Dear God!" exclaimed Deaton.

{}{}{}{}

Scott woke with a start and looked around, saw Jackson lying on the examination table, closed his eyes again and tried to recapture the wonderful Allison dream he was having…then his eyes snapped open again.

"Jackson! What are you doing here? Where's Stiles?"

Jackson opened his eyes. "I'm right here, dumb-ass. Why are you calling me Jackson?"

Then he caught his reflection in a nearby mirror, and screamed.

{}{}{}{}

"A SKINWALKER?" Stiles screamed incredulously. He looked down at himself, still unable to believe what he was seeing. The incredibly toned and well defined body of Jackson Whittemore had replaced the rather skinny and un-muscular Stiles-body. The bite wound had vanished completely. Stiles leapt off the table and grabbed the steel mirror off the counter. He felt his face all over, trying to see if his own real face were somewhere underneath. "Great! Now there are _two_ of the biggest creep in the whole world!"

Deaton and Melissa had walked back in when they heard Stiles screaming. Deaton was carrying a thick book already open to a page near the end, and showed Stiles the labeled picture of a gelatinous blue mass.

"Doc, what the hell is a skinwalker?" Scott asked, extremely worried.

"It's a shapechanger. The bite _always_ gives you the ability to change your shape in some way. 99% of the time you get a new member of the breed of Alpha that bit you. The rest of the time…you get other possibilities. Derek doesn't realize this, but he is breaking world records of non-werewolf shifters sired by a single Alpha. Skinwalkers have the healing abilities, heightened senses and physical strength of a werewolf, but they don't shift into animal forms…they shift into other _people_, anyone that they have ever physically touched. The good news is that he shouldn't be a danger to anyone. With time, he could either learn to control it…or resolve the inner conflict that kept him from becoming a werewolf, like the real Jackson did."

Scott growled in frustration. "There's only one problem with that, Doc! Lydia already played that card with Jackson! She's the only one that could fix this, and she won't! She will _never_ tell Stiles she loves him!"

"Thanks Scott. When you least suspect it, I am going to sprinkle wolfsbane powder in your jockstrap." Stiles/Jackson snarled.

Scott looked at him, horrified. "You wouldn't!"

"Let's see what happens when I regain the element of surprise." he muttered. "Ok, I'm going to try to change back into my old self!" Stiles closed his eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened. "Come on, change!" he whispered. Still nothing.

Dr. Deaton cleared his throat.

"Stiles…I think you have to _want_ to be the person you change into. Do you truly want to go back to being your old self?"

Stiles considered. "Actually…no." He looked down at the ground. "Boy, is this whole experience is shedding some light on my character."

Melissa came over to him and gave him a brief hug. "Stiles…I care about you, and your father loves you more than anything. You are Scott's best friend. You should be proud of who you are, and not feel inferior to anybody. You're a wonderful person, Scott's already told me how many times you were there for him."

"But who's there for _me_, Mrs. McCall? Scott…is really busy these days. My Dad works his ass off at the station. There have been whole _days_ where no one has ever looked for me or called me. I'm never a blip on anyone's radar. People tell me all the time what I great guy I am…and then they leave me for someone else. Lydia was just the latest one. Why would I want to go back to that?"

Stiles sent Derek off a quick text.

_I'm a freaking Skinwalker. Guess my issues weren't as resolved as I thought. Please help me get the hang of this. _Stiles wondered what the Alpha would do when he found out.

"Well, I'm glad to hear being a Skinwalker won't put anyone in danger. All I want is for people to notice me, to take me seriously for once. Being a 'Jackson' is just as bad, though. You guys have to help me, _I don't want to spend the rest of my life with perfect hair and a six-pack!_"

They all looked at him.

"What? I'm not allowed to want to be average?"

He grabbed his shirt and put it back on, finding it now a bit tight over his new muscles. On impulse, he pulled at the waistband of his shorts and peeked inside.

"Oh, Christ!" he yelled, slamming his fist into the wall. "It's _so not freaking fair!_" He stormed out of the clinic.

"I don't even want to know." said Melissa.

{}{}{}{}

"A SKINWALKER?" Derek screamed incredulously, looking at the text Stiles had sent. Leave it to Stiles to mess everything up. Not only did he have another rogue shape-shifter running around (and Stilinski, of ALL people!) but he was still only at two Betas for his Pack.

Peter chuckled long and loudly when he heard the news.

"A Kanima and a Skinwalker…congratulations Derek. Next you'll sire a Taelus."

"What the hell is a Taelus?" Derek snarled. He was half-convinced Peter had just made the word up.

"Never you mind. The Alpha Pack will be arriving tomorrow. That means you have to find and bite someone _today_. And lucky for you…I have someone in mind. Let's go."

Derek growled to himself. Peter was acting too much like an Alpha himself these days. Derek wanted very badly to teach him who was the real boss of this Pack…but right now he needed Peter's help.

They drove in Derek's Camaro to the Long Term Care Facility that Peter had been a patient at for 6 years.

Peter made some inquiries at the front desk, and then led Derek down the hallway. They came to a closed door and glanced through the small window. A teenager sat in a wheelchair watching an Aquaman cartoon on the television. He had thick strawberry blond hair, and pale blue eyes.

"Didn't you criticize me for picking underdogs to be in my Pack?" Derek asked in a low voice.

"Casey is no underdog. He's been paralyzed from the waist down for two years when he was hit by a drunk driver. His mother was killed in the accident. He's nearly as angry and vicious as I was…I spoke for the first time in six years to him, even before Nurse Jennifer. He was the only one who really knew…what it was like."

"Why didn't you bite him, back when you were on top? Why go after Scott?"

Peter looked uncomfortable, and remained silent. Derek's eyes widened.

"What, you're telling me-" Derek began.

"I didn't want him killed in the crossfire with the Argents. I decided I would turn him after I knew…he would be safe."

"But you were willing to risk _Scott's_ life?"

Peter didn't answer. He didn't need to.

"What do you see in him?" Derek refused to let the subject go.

"He was in _Hell_ with me, Derek. We had a bond stronger than family."

'_That's for sure. You killed Laura and ripped me to pieces on more than one occasion.'_ Derek thought privately.

A burly orderly shoved his way past them into the boy's room. Peter looked after him.

"That's Otis…one of the more sadistic orderlies that they never seem to get around to firing in this place. I always meant to eat him after I was done with the Argents. Let's listen in, shall we?"

The two werewolves focused their hearing on the voices coming through the door.

"All right you little shit, time for your meds." came the gruff voice.

"Hello, Otis. I hope your kids die. Oh wait, you're too ugly to have any." answered Casey.

"Keep it up, kid, and they're gonna wonder how you drowned in the toilet bowl. Be good and I'll flush it first." Otis answered back. "Now take the goddamned meds!"

They heard Casey making choking sounds.

Derek growled and lunged towards the door, but was held back by Peter. Derek tore loose from his grip and glared at him. Peter looked furious himself, though. Suddenly, they heard Otis screaming. When they got to the room, they saw that Casey had clamped his teeth down on one of Otis' fingers. The big orderly made a fist with his other hand and smashed it into the side of the teenagers face. Casey released his jaws as his head rocked back and he spit some blood on the floor. He grinned savagely at the wounded orderly, and spoke in a startling imitation of a human voice, which contrasted sharply with the blood running down his chin.

"Otis, I know I should have asked you this before we got started…but do you know your HIV status?"

Otis roared and lunged for the boy, but Peter had slipped into the room and grabbed him, holding him back easily. The outraged orderly gave him a good look and then lurched away.

"Hale!" he shrieked.

"Otis. If I were you, I wouldn't make a Federal case out of this. Now get out of here."

Otis backed out of the room.

Casey gave the two men a bloody grin.

"PETER! What's shakin' my man! Bet you wish _you'd_ gotten a bite of him when you were here!" Casey smirked. A huge bruise was already beginning to bloom on his cheek.

"No…it would have had unfortunate consequences." Peter turned fully to face the wheelchair-bound boy.

"Wow…look at you! Guess cosmetic surgery isn't all bullshit!" The boy moved his chin, which rested on a cup-shaped controller for his chair. The chair whirred as it moved towards them.

Peter looked shocked. "Casey…what the hell happened?"

The boy grinned, though it touched his eyes not at all. "Got me an upgrade from paraplegic to tetraplegic. Some idiot was texting while they were driving and hit the transport ambulance I was in. It happened right after you disappeared from here. Just when I was getting used the whole no-walking thing…the gods looked down and made _this_ happen. Guess they were upset I could still wipe my own ass. Terrific, huh? And both drivers got away with it because they had _fucking_ friends in high places."

The anger and bitterness in the boy's voice was palpable.

"They freaking have to _bathe_ me Peter…they have to _put me on the john_ and make sure I don't fall off…" Casey's eyes got red, but no tears fell. "Sometimes they make the _female_ nurses do it. If I had the power to kill myself, I'd have done it already. I keep hoping to piss Otis off enough so that he does me the favor."

Peter took several seconds to recover himself.

"Casey, there's another option. What if I told you we could make you well again, make you stronger than ever before?"

Casey chuckled. "Pete, stop yanking my chain. The doctor's all said I was fucked. End of discussion. I'm not gonna be one of those pathetic losers that never stops hoping and praying for a miracle. There's no such-"

Casey's voice trailed off as Peter held out his hand, and the teenager watched the killer claws slowly extend from the fingertips.

Casey's eyes flicked back to Peter's eyes.

"What the fuck are you?"

"I'll give you a hint. I enjoy full moons, fresh meat, and running through the forest." Peter said with a wry grin.

"That how the burns healed?"

"I knew you were quick off the mark."

Casey's lip began to tremble, and his eyes were wide.

"Are you here…" He swallowed noisily. "…to kill me?"

Peter blinked at him.

"No, you halfwit! We want to make you what we are! Now, are you up for getting out of that chair and losing all the good parking spots?"

"Peter, could I see you out in the hallway for a second?" Derek hissed. The Alpha pulled his uncle out into the hallway and down far enough so that the boy couldn't hear them.

"Peter, could you not smell the rage coming off of him? That kid is a nuclear bomb waiting to go off! If I give him the bite and let him out of that wheelchair, he is going to be impossible to control!"

"Derek, he has one thing that all your little pups lacked…_focus._ He is incredibly smart…he was skipped two grades before his accident…his first one. He would sell his very soul to get his body back, and that is the sum total of his ambition. In my professional opinion, he could be the most powerful wolf you could ever hope to have in your Pack. And you are going to _need_ that strength for what's coming."

Derek rubbed his forehead.

"Tick, tock…tick, tock…" Peter muttered.

Derek gave him an Alpha Glare.

"If this comes back to bite me…" Derek grated.

"Very funny. Think about the alternative then."

Derek sighed and they stepped back into the room.

Casey looked up as they returned, and the despair was wiped from his face as if it had never been.

"Peter, if you could get me out of this chair…do it! Please, I'll do anything you want!"

"I wish I could, Casey…but I've had troubles that now prevent me from doing so. It will be a while before I regain that power. My nephew here will do nicely, however. Derek? Bring Casey into the Pack, if you would."

Casey looked at Derek expectantly.

"Go ahead. Bite me!" he urged.

"If I do this, Casey, you have to accept my authority as an Alpha. No arguments or questions. This may sound like a threat, but it's more of a warning…if you don't follow my lead, then you will probably die. _All of us_ may die. Do you agree to this?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Just do it!"

Derek didn't seem convinced. "Swear it, Casey. Swear it by whatever you hold sacred." Derek's eyes flashed at him. "I'll know if you're lying."

Casey gave him a long look.

"Fine. I swear…I swear on my mother that I'll do what you say. Satisfied?"

Peter gave him a sad look

"Don't make me regret this!" Derek growled as his own eyes flashed a brilliant crimson.

"I won't, Derek! Just do it, I can't stand waiting another second!" Casey begged.

"Okay…this may hurt…oh, I guess it won't." Derek looked embarrassed.

"Just _do it_ for the love of Fenris!" Peter growled.

Casey watched, greedily fascinated, as Derek picked up his limp, dead arm and sank the killer teeth into his flesh.

"Cool." he said.

{}{}{}{}

Mr. Whittemore opened the door and gave a frown of distaste at the boy he saw standing there.

"Lahey. Can I do something for you?" Every syllable in that sentence screamed 'No'.

"Is Jackson around?"

Whittemore was silent for a moment. Then: "I think Jackson has been through enough these past few days-"

Jackson shouldered his way past his father and walked past Isaac and down the steps.

"Jackson?" his father called.

"I'll be back for dinner, Dad." Jackson called without looking back. Mr. Whittemore backed inside and closed the front door.

Isaac followed after him. "_My_ Dad would have murdered me if I tried that on him." Isaac said quietly.

"Well, don't worry, man. I murdered _him_." Jackson muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, I never properly thanked you for that."

Jackson didn't respond. He zapped his car open and slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine a moment later. Isaac leaned down and looked into the passenger window. It slid slowly down.

"What?" Jackson growled.

Isaac shrugged. "Thought you might want to talk, or hang out."

Jackson seemed to struggle with a massive debate within himself. "I think…I need to be alone for a while."

Isaac laughed. "You've been alone your whole life. So have I. So let's be alone together."

Jackson looked at him, and slowly smirked. "Okay. Get in."

Isaac slid into a Porsche for the first time in his life. It was every bit as good as he had hoped. "I'm not putting out for this ride. My V-card is sacred."

Jackson's smirk got wider. "God, please stop talking."

Isaac chuckled. They drove to the dirt road to the preserve that crossed through the Hale property.

"Isaac…you can really look at me and not be pissed at what I did?" Jackson asked quietly.

"Jackson…you know it wasn't _you_…it was freaking Matt. My father hurt a lot of people in his life…one of them was bound to try to get payback. Heck, _I_ would have once I got a bit older. You were no more to blame than a gun or a knife in the hands of someone less chicken-shit than Matt was. My _own father_ locked me in a meat freezer for hours at a time…so I'm sorry, but I'm just not sad to see him go."

"But all those other people…" Jackson whispered.

"Again…_Matt_. Say it with me, Jackson: _MATT KILLED EVERYONE!"_

"I just…wish I could forget." Jackson parked the car close to Razor Gorge and got out. Isaac followed him and they sat on some medium sized rocks and looked out over the ocean.

"Forget that you were going to turn into what Derek tells me was practically a freaking _dragon?_ Dude, Peter Jackson would have paid a fortune to get his hands on you! You could have starred in the _Hobbit_! I can see it now…the part of Smaug will be played by…Jackson Whittemore!"

Jackson chuckled. "I would have been better than that CGI crap. You can never talk about this to Stiles. He'd find a way to turn me _back_ into that thing."

They looked out over the ocean again. Suddenly, Isaac stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Jackson.

"For a run. Scott and Derek have this totally badass werewolf loping thing going on, and I wanted to try it. Come with me. You'll never want to go anywhere by Porsche again."

"I doubt that. And these are brand new Air Force Ones!"

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Let's _go_, Richie Rich!"

He took off. Jackson watched him for few moments, then tore off his jacket and went after him.

{}{}{}{}

Chris put down the phone and looked over at his daughter.

"I just got word that an Alpha Pack is headed into this territory. I have a feeling things are going to get messy with Derek and his crew.

Allison paled, then whipped out her cell phone. She sent off a text to Scott, then closed her phone.

"You're not going to warn Derek?" Chris asked.

"I'm sure Derek knows they're coming, Dad. I warned Scott to stay out of this."

"He won't listen." Chris walked out of the room.

"I know." Allison whispered to herself.

{}{}{}{}

The bell rang just as Lydia was walking by her front door. She opened it, and her face broke out into a smile when she saw Jackson standing there.

"Hey…how are…Jackson, were you robbed? Why are you dressed like the homeless?" she asked. Her fashion conscious eyes picked him up and down.

Jackson looked startled, and looked down at himself.

"Lydia, you don't understand, I'm not – "

"Nevermind that, get in here."

Lydia pulled him inside the house, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him deeply. Jackson struggled for a moment, but then melted into the kiss with a ferocity that surprised her. She giggled and pulled back. Jackson's eyes were glazed, and he looked like he was having a religious experience, which made his next words seem very odd.

"I'm going to Hell."

"What are you talking about? You're not still feeling guilty about – "

"NO! I mean…" Stiles took a deep breath. "How was that kiss? Was it different? What did you feel?"

Lydia just looked puzzled. Her brain was doing something weird…it was like the rare instance when the answer to a difficult math problem was buzzing around like a fly she could almost swat. She had the feeling she was missing something. She peeked out a window and saw Stilinski's Jeep outside.

"What are you doing with that car?" she asked. The buzzing was getting louder in her mind.

"Nevermind that, just answer the question! What did you _feel_ when we kissed?" Jackson looked very impatient, so Lydia decided to humor him.

"Okay…it was like there wasn't anything in the world you wanted to do more…like you'd die without it. It was passionate, electric…and…desperate. Like you were worried it would never happen again. You've never kissed me like that before. It was exciting, a little scary…and sexy as hell." She smiled up at him, and leaned in to smell the tantalizing cologne that Danny had turned him on to…Armani, wasn't it?

She inhaled, and her breath caught.

Jackson smelled like Old Spice… and only one teenager in Beacon Hills thought Old Spice would attract a girlfriend.

Her eyes widened, and she backed away from Jackson in abject horror.

"What the hell is going on?"

Jackson sighed. "I tried to tell you, but you just jumped on me! I'm not Jackson…I'm Stiles." As he spoke, the flesh of his face seemed to ripple and crawl, and suddenly it was him.

Lydia's hand rose to cover her mouth. "What…how…"

Stiles looked down at the floor, his face turning red.

"I asked Derek to turn me. I figured it would let me compete with Jackson…but something went wrong. Dr. Deaton says I'm a Skinwalker. I can turn into other people."

A lesser mind than Lydia's might have snapped under the wave of unreality that now swept over her…but she was made of very stern stuff. Instead of being terrified, she became furious.

"So you became Jackson and came over here to trick me? How could you _use_ me like that? All these years of you stalking me, and I never thought you were a creep until right now! Get out of my house, and don't you _ever _come near me again!"

Stiles looked panicked. "No, Lydia! It wasn't like that! I don't have control over this yet! I turned into Jackson because…I was jealous of him. Deep down, I wished I _were_ him…so I could be with you. But I would never want you that way unless you wanted me…the real me…back."

Stiles looked miserable, and not a little terrified at this admission.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed at him.

He dropped his hands to his sides, and despite herself, Lydia felt an unwelcome stab of compassion at the utterly lost and miserable expression on his face. It was the look you get when you realize you hurt the one you love most in the world, and it was followed by a wave of such palpable self-hatred that Lydia almost felt it was hers.

He turned and ran back to his Jeep, his form seeming to waver and shift as he went. It was still wavering as he drove off, as if Stiles no longer knew _who_ he wanted to be.

{}{}{}{}

Casey Morgan felt the first spark of feeling begin in his lower back, at the site of the original injury. It was a burning sensation, and though it was painful, it was the most wonderful thing he had ever felt in his life.

The fire spread upwards, from the root chakra whose name was Muladhara. Casey had made use of his time in the hospital, reading scores of books in the hospital library (with the help of a ridiculous looking page-turner that attached to the head) on all sorts of esoteric subjects. Everything from Kundalini Yoga to Astral Projection to Telekinesis, no subject went unresearched in his quest to discover some way to escape his condition. Nothing worked of course, but it had still taken his mind off the cruel reality of his situation. It had never occurred to him to look into werewolves, but now that he had joined the club, he was going to make it his top priority.

The fire spread downward through his legs, waking them as if they had only fallen asleep. The fire consumed him with pain before settling down to an almost pleasant pins and needles sensation. The flames leapt higher as well, igniting the next chakra, whose name was Swadhisthana. An overall awareness of his body, a sense of balance and equilibrium was coming back to him. Casey looked at the clock. It was almost time for Otis' rounds. He would no doubt want vengeance for yesterday's stunt.

'_Faster. Hurry.'_

He opened himself up to the changes within him, gave himself up fully to it as he felt the _other_ joining with his mind and body and spirit. The wolf. He envisioned the fire reaching the third chakra, and the fourth, Manapura and Anahata. Four down, three to go. He sent his awareness into every cell of his body.

'_Give in to it. Accept this change. Embrace it, become one with it. NOW.'_

The bite on his arm began to melt away as the flesh repaired itself at superhuman speed. From what Peter told him, this was a very good sign. Vishudda and Ajna awoke as the flames reached his heart and lungs, and entered his throat. His fingers twitched. His feet shifted. Only one chakra left. His body was awake, but he had not yet regained control of it. It would happen soon though.

'_NOW.'_

The door whispered open, and though his eyes were closed, Casey knew that Otis was in the room with him. The sour smell of the man filled his mind.

"Time for your meds, you little shit."

Finally, Sahasrara blazed in his mind. The keys turned in the ignition and the engine of his body roared to life. The wolf within him melded into his soul, and they became one.

Fingers probed his mouth and opened it. The other hand approached, and from the repulsive smell, whatever it held was _not_ a pill.

'_Otis…do you never learn?'_ Casey thought as his body began to shift. Then his new teeth clamped down hard.

'_Mmmm…tastes pretty good for hospital food.' _ he thought as he chewed the screaming man's fingers.

{}{}{}{}

The sun rose with a distinctly red cast that morning, an ominous sign for sailors who took it as a sign that a storm was on its way. But with the first waft of scent that came his way, Derek knew that the storm was already here. He stood, tall and ominous in front of the destroyed wreck of his home. Of course, he was scowling. Jackson and Isaac stood on either side of him, gazing anxiously into the dark forest. Peter stood off to the left, smirking.

Boyd and Erica emerged from the woods. They looked at Derek fearfully, quickly glancing away from his forbidding Glare. After them came the Alpha Pack, slowly forming a line on either side of the renegade Betas. Em was the last to emerge, her berserker warrior's smile sending chills down the necks of Isaac and Jackson.

"Alpha of the Hale…Pack." she said the last word derisively. Derek's eyes narrowed.

"Alpha of… Alphas? Why are you here on land pledged to the Hale family?" he grated.

Em's grin got impossibly wider. "Family? I see no family. I see a pup with a renegade uncle, a kinslayer and outcast by all of our laws. Why have you not destroyed him?"

"He did." said Peter simply.

Em waved a hand at him imperiously. "Silence, outcast. An Omega holds greater status than _you_ at this meeting. We shall have to find a new sufficiently lower rank for someone of your ilk."

Peter growled and charged her. He was more than half-shifted, but Em changed not at all even as she grabbed him with a seemingly delicate hand and hurled him over Derek's head to crash through the rotten walls of the Hale mansion.

Derek swallowed drily. She had made that seem entirely too easy.

Jackson blinked rapidly, while Isaac openly gaped at her.

Em glanced at each of them in turn. "I have adopted these two into my Pack, and soon they will be raised Alpha." she indicated Erica and Boyd. "You two could join as well, and receive the same gift. All you need do is destroy Hale. You will have the help of my Pack should you wish it."

Derek smirked. "Isaac and Jackson, added to the two you've already taken from me? That would give you nine, wouldn't it? At that level of power, you would be practically unkillable."

"True. But I could destroy all three of you as easily as the kinslayer. It is all one to me."

"Four." Derek grinned at her.

"Three. I do not count the filth that lies in that house, unconscious and bleeding."

"I'm not talking about _him_."

"He's talking about _me._" said a new voice.

Casey walked out from behind the house. He was barefoot and shirtless, and there was not a small amount of blood around his mouth and across his chest. It made his grin even more unsettling than it was.

He stood moved to stand next to Derek, after first rudely shoving Jackson and Isaac out of the way.

"Step aside, Abercrombie & _bitch._"

"That's no way to treat your Pack brothers, Casey." Derek hissed through his teeth.

"Sorry, boss. This lady and her freaky friends giving you trouble?"

"_KILL THEM!"_ Em shouted.

The two groups of werewolves rushed at each other in a frenzy of teeth and claws.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N – Sorry for the short chapter, had very little time to write this before Turkey madness began. Hope you enjoy, and remember, reviews are worth a thousand turkeys.**_

Just before the two groups met, Boyd and Erica flashed each other a single glance before suddenly turning and unleashing a surprise attack on William and Simone, sinking deadly claws into their stomachs and raking them upwards, showering both of them in hot blood. The two stunned Alphas had no time to react as the young Betas fought to take down their more powerful prey. It was a losing battle however, and before too long they were doing everything they could just to keep themselves alive. Isaac and Jackson fared better, as they threw themselves at Caine and Darius. They evened the odds against the stronger werewolves by using that strength against them; Isaac threw Caine at Darius just as he was swinging a monstrous set of lethal claws at Jackson's face. Caine tore open his own brother instead, and Jackson used that second of distraction to shatter Caine's spinal column with a flying powerhouse kick. Jackson retained all of the fighting skills he'd had as the Kanima, and though he had lost the hideous strength that went with it, that skill made him quite the match for the two brothers.

Em was the biggest threat; Derek (who was now experiencing a rush of new and welcome strength with the arrival of his third Beta) and Casey went for her together. Casey was a born fighter; he coordinated his attack with Derek's perfectly, and Em roared in fury as her response to each attack from one of them left her vulnerable to the other. Casey held back not at all, and with a huge grin opened Em up with brutal efficiency. Derek had to admit to himself that Peter had been absolutely right about him…and that his uncle must have been insane to pick an unknown like Scott McCall when he could have had this engine of death on his side to fight the Argents.

Regina held back; she was the oldest of the group and had the most experience. She wanted to take the measure of this motley Pack before engaging them directly. When she saw the battle going poorly against her Pack, she growled, and began to shift into the Alpha form when suddenly a cloud of violet dust obscured her vision. She coughed once..twice…then fell to the ground paralyzed. Scott McCall (wearing one of his mother's surgical masks over his Beta-shifted face) stepped out of the woods behind her. He tossed another sealed packet into the middle of the ravaging wolves, and a claw (they never found out whose) slashed it open, unleashing more of the powdered aconite into the air. Gradually they fell to the ground, all of them in mid-stages of transformation.

'Dr. Deaton is going to kill me. That was his whole supply!' Scott thought randomly to himself.

When all of the werewolves were still and lay looking at him with wide eyes, Scott took off the mask and looked down at them.

"What is wrong with all of you?" he asked, his voice dripping with contempt. "Now you're attacking your own kind? All this time I've been hearing the hype about how werewolves were being persecuted by Hunters, and now when there isn't an Argent around for miles you're about to kill _yourselves_? This is why I don't want to be one of you! You're nothing…nothing but Hunters with fangs and claws."

Scott stopped near Em who was rapidly hyperventilating and staring at him with wide eyed crimson rage.

Peter Hale climbed back through the hole in the burned house rubbing his head and looking around at the immobilized werewolves.

Scott pointed at him, amber eyes glowing with barely suppressed fury.

"I was bitten…_against my will_. Peter killed his own niece to be an Alpha, and wanted to use me as a tool in his war against the Argents! He tried to make me kill my friends, and never once _asked_ for my help! That war started because an old man who was afraid to die plotted to wipe out the Hales so that he could force an Alpha to bite him, and maybe become one himself! The sick part is that he was willing to sacrifice his whole family to do it! Then Derek becomes an Alpha, and true to form he attacks me and my friends, and manipulates people who would have helped willingly if he asked! Jackson, you were the guy who had everything, but just _had_ to get bitten…and we all know what happened after that! Isaac, you knew what it was like to be beaten down, and yet you turned around and bullied other kids, and threatened to kill people who never did you any wrong! You too, Erica! Did your epilepsy justify knocking Stiles out and locking him in a dumpster? Boyd! You wanted friends, but abandoned them when they needed you the most? And now… here you all are, about to kill each other in some mega-werewolf pissing contest! Eight Alphas and five Betas lying at my feet, and not _one_ who can teach me anything. I'm ashamed to be a werewolf, if this is all I have to look up to."

Scott looked around at them.

"If I didn't make it clear…you all disgust me."

He peeked down at Casey.

"Except you. I don't know you."

"Casey."

"Scott. Sorry about the wolfsbane."

"No problem."

"Later."

"Ciao."

Scott walked off. Peter stared after him with sullen eyes, while the others were forced to lie there and think about what he said until the wolfsbane wore off.

{}{}{}{}

"We should kill him for his insolence." Em said tightly.

"He could have killed you, Em…and been raised Alpha himself." Simone told her.

"Or he could have killed you, Peter…and become human." Derek said quietly.

"Or you, nephew, and taught you a lesson about attacking his friends…and interfering in his love life."

"He had every right to kill me." Jackson said aloud to no one.

William shook his head. "We will retreat to consider our next course of action."

Em growled at him. "The Beta is too dangerous to be allowed to live. His actions against us were inexcusable…"

"No! William is right. Although he overcame us with forbidden weapons, he raised neither claw nor fang against us. He is free from blame. I think…I think we may have acted hastily." Regina put in firmly.

Em spat to one side.

Caine approached Derek, who stood up and looked him directly in the eye. "We are going…for now, Hale. The Beta is safe from our wrath, but we have yet to decide what to do with you and the abomination you call your uncle."

Casey gave him a wide grin, now covered in even more blood than before. "Hey, Blondie. Peter happens to be a good friend of mine…so you keep your trap shut about him unless you want to go one on one."

"Thanks, Casey…but please shut up." Peter whispered to him.

"I got this, Pete. Don't wet yourself." Casey answered back. The fight had been thrilling for him, and he was pissed it was ended prematurely, but hey…who knew what could happen tomorrow?

Caine just smirked and walked away with the others.

Em walked up to Casey.

"You fought well. I can't remember the last time a man had gotten so deeply… _inside me_." She grinned as for the first time Casey's confident smirk seemed to waver.

She walked off, glancing back at him just before she entered the forest.

Casey's eyes lost their focus, and he actually took a step to follow her when Peter grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't. She gives the term 'man-eater' new meaning."

Casey recovered himself and actually blushed. "Sorry, Pete. A man has needs, you know?"

Derek turned to Jackson and Isaac. "You too did really well out there. I had a vision of all of you being cut down in seconds, but you held your own."

"What about us?" asked Boyd. Erica bit her lip as she waited for her Alpha's response. He had every right to be furious with them.

Derek gave them a sour Glare. "You two change allegiances by the day. I told you when I turned you that this life was dangerous, and you wanted it anyway. I admit there were some pretty heavy things going on, but you two ran like scared pups. I am very disappointed in both of you. If you think fighting those Alphas gets you back in my favor, you are dead wrong. You're not in my Pack."

"What's the matter, you never made a mistake, so you can't forgive anyone else who does?" Erica hissed at him. She had expected resistance, but not flat out refusal.

Derek walked up to her, and she backed off looking scared. Boyd got in Derek's way, and was promptly tossed aside like a ragdoll.

"It's not a matter of forgiveness. You two _sucked_. The element of surprise is the only thing that saved your asses in that fight. It's like I never trained either of you. Isaac did well, and so did Jackson…hell, Casey made _me_ look like a newbie, and he was in a wheelchair yesterday! You know why that is? Because they committed to this, and you didn't. When you can show me that you are ready to give me everything you've got, I'll think about accepting you back in my Pack. Now get lost, both of you."

Derek turned his back on them. They looked at him, and then at each other before walking off.

"You were pretty _hard_ on them, Derek." Isaac muttered.

Casey snorted, and Isaac glared at him. "Something funny?"

Casey shook his head. "No man. Everything's cool."

Jackson gave him an irritated scowl.

"Got a problem, Abercrombie?" Casey taunted.

A look the others would have recognized as the 'old Jackson' crossed the blondes face as he walked rapidly towards Casey, who promptly took on a fighting stance.

"Jackson," Derek called out. Jackson turned to look at the Alpha, and Derek saw Casey take full advantage of the distraction by aiming a powerful haymaker at Jackson's cheek. Jackson caught the fist without ever taking his eyes off of Derek.

"Yeah, Derek?" Jackson asked calmly. He squeezed, and they all heard the bones in Casey's hand snap.

"Nothing." Derek sighed. Jackson turned back to Casey who was kneeling on the ground in agony.

"Dude. Don't call me Abercrombie. I hate that. Got it?"

Casey, defiant to the last, stuttered out a response. "C-can I st-still call Isaac b-bitch?"

"No."

"Right-on."

Jackson let go, and Isaac high-fived him. Derek rolled his eyes wondering how he was going to get his Pack to fight as a team. All three had impressed the hell out of him, and he had a better shot at driving the Alphas off…but just a shot.

As if sensing his anxiety, Peter looked at him with a smug smile.

"Don't worry, nephew. As I keep telling you, _always _have a backup plan. I think the time has come to call on my secret weapon."

{}{}{}{}

Lydia rapidly scrolled through the pages of the Bestiary that Allison sent her in .pdf format, rapidly translating and cataloguing the vast store of information about dozens of horrifying creatures.

"Werewolf. Kanima. Vampire. Demon. Cambion. Jinx. Witch. Leprechaun. Cripes, _those_ are real? Shadowmen. Shit, I never want to meet one of those. Skinwalker. Taelus-…darn it, let's scroll up. Skinwalker. The Skinwalker phenotype, like the Kanima and Taelus, occurs during a failed human-to-werewolf conversion; this time when the aspirant to werewolf-hood harbors a deep sense of inferiority to the others around him, one that even the power of the wolf would be helpless to vanquish. The subconscious mind of the victim channels the force of the Shapeshifter Venom into altering his human form to that of _other humans_, especially those viewed as superior…this happens most often in pursuit of a forbidden or impossible love and almost always ends in disaster. The Skinwalker eventually loses control over his shape completely, and disperses into blue proto-matter unless he wins the object of his desire, at which point he will complete the change into a Beta werewolf."

Lydia looked up from her computer screen.

"Holy fucking hell. Either Stiles and I get together…or he dies. Great. Just great. Why can't I just dump someone like normal girls? Why do they _always have to die without me?_"

Lydia was on the point of shutting down her computer when the next entry caught her eye. The word 'Taelus' meant nothing to her, but the picture was of a very ordinary (though pretty) human girl with flaming hair. The artist had drawn numerous skeletons at her feet, and she appeared to be standing in some kind of charred wasteland. Bizarrely, she seemed to be pursing her lips, as if expecting a kiss. The resemblance to Lydia herself was remarkable…and unsettling. Lydia began to read the entry aloud.

"Taelus. One of the rarest and most feared manifestations of Shapeshifter Venom in a human. The Taelus is always a female of exceptional beauty, keen intelligence and iron will, often adored and sought after by numerous suitors. She is at the top of the chain of supernatural creatures, and is feared by all (including ghosts, spirits and apparitions, since she can perceive and destroy them) due to her deadly power. Should one be discovered, other supernaturals (and the humans who seek to destroy them) will attempt to kill her on sight lest she dominate them they way she dominated other humans prior to her transformation. The one blessing in dealing with such a creature is that she does not possess the physical strength or healing abilities of other Shapeshifters…until the first time she uses her devastating gift, thereby ascending to her full power. It is vital to slay the Taelus before this occurs since she will then be nearly unstoppable. Even in her dormant state, the Taelus will demonstrate immunity to all supernatural contagions, including Leprechaun Spittle, Kanima Toxin and Vampire Blood. _Willfully_ creating a Taelus is punishable by death among werewolves, though only an experienced Alpha would be able to determine which female among many would be likely to achieve this state. The Taelus activates her power by…"

Lydia glared at the screen. Whoever had owned the physical copy of the Bestiary had blotted it out before scanning it so that most of the sentence was completely illegible.

"…and so reducing her victims to so much burning ash."

Lydia pulled up her blouse and looked at the scar on her side left by Peter Hale's attack. Her eyes narrowed. Somewhere out there in Beacon Hills, a certain newly resurrected Alpha werewolf was in very…very deep shit.

If, that is, she could figure out how to utilize her power.

Lydia stared at the picture. What _was_ that girl doing with her lips? Kissing? She had kissed both Jackson _and_ Stiles/Jackson, and both had lived…

In a moment, her computer-like mind produced the answer, and a slow (and rather evil) grin appeared on her face. Now to test it out.

If she were right, no one was ever going to play games with Lydia Ophelia Martin ever again.

{}{}{}{}

Casey whistled as he turned the steaks over on the outdoor barbecue. He and the Pack came to his home after the battle to make plans about what to do with the Alpha Pack. They spent an hour or two pulling the sheets off of the furniture and making the place livable again before Derek sent Isaac and Jackson food shopping. The house was not as large as the Hale mansion, but it _was_ secluded which served their purposes well. The three Betas got into three separate fights before Derek formally commanded them to stop and make an effort to get along.

Casey was a better fighter than Isaac, but not as good as Jackson… though with each defeat Casey got significantly better. He was a very fast learner.

After the last time, Jackson looked down at him. He was breathing heavily and his clothes were soaked with blood.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem? Do you like pain?" Jackson yelled at him.

Casey stood up slowly, his ever-present grin getting even wider.

"Dude, I haven't felt anything in months, below the waist for years. I was a fucking mannequin until Derek saved me. So yeah, I like pain. I like pleasure. I like to feel…(here his voice became almost husky, and he grabbed the front of Jackson's shirt) _anything_."

Jackson goggled at him. "Don't _fucking_ try to kiss me, man!"

Casey roared with laughter, and shoved Jackson hard against the nearest wall. He was still laughing as he walked outside.

"What a _freak_!" Isaac exclaimed.

But now as the smell of the cooking meat drew the rest of the Pack (sniffing with barely suppressed anticipation) out of the house, Casey seemed to them to have lost the manic edge to his personality as he served up each of them a thick steak. They seated themselves at the outdoor dining table, with Lenox place setting, satin napkins and Waterford crystal goblets. Casey brought out a bottle of rich red wine (the bottle was unlabeled) and poured each of them a glass.

They ate quietly, savoring the tender and exquisitely spiced meat and fine wine as if it were the first decent meal they had ever had.

"Thanks, Casey. This was great." Isaac mumbled around his food.

"No problem, bro." Casey drained his glass and poured himself another, stretching his muscles pleasurably. "Look, sorry for being all over you guys, but…I can't get enough of feeling everything. It's the most amazing thing to have my body back…and I owe it all to you Pete, and you Derek. Thanks for bringing me in. I wanna stay with you, even after we kill those fucking Alphas. Just point me at your fucking enemies."

Derek and Peter looked at each other awkwardly. Neither Alpha knew how long this temporary truce would last before they had to part ways…or kill each other. Who would Casey side with when that happened?

Jackson got up to leave.

"I'm off guys. I have to get home." He looked around at them with a half-worried, half-expectant expression.

"Cool. I'll call you tomorrow." Isaac said before belching hugely. Casey snickered.

"Be here tomorrow around ten. I want us to train some more; we have to be ready for them." Derek said absently while cutting up some more of his steak.

Jackson grinned, looking relieved that he was still needed in the Pack.

Casey stood up. "Lahey, be a good little Beta and clean up, since I cooked. I'm off for a bit, don't wait up."

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

"I told you before, a man has needs. Unless there are any volunteers around here…no? Oh, well. Your loss."

Casey grinned at their horrified expressions and left the yard through the gate without a backward glance.

"Was he kidding? First Em, then Jackson, now all of us? Is he a bi nymphomaniac or something?" Isaac gaped after the departed Beta.

Peter rolled his eyes. "I don't think _trees_ are safe from him tonight. He'll get used to it, and settle down. Until then, sleep with your door locked." Peter got up as well and walked into the house to the bedroom he had picked out earlier.

Derek followed suit, leaving Isaac alone. The orphaned Beta cleaned up the dishes, but didn't retire to a bedroom like the others. Instead, he reclined on one of the lounge chairs and gazed up at the swelling moon. It was a long time before he fell asleep.

{}{}{}{}

The club was called Pandemonium, and it catered to all crowds; gay, straight, bisexual, you name it. The club was notorious for a number of reasons, including failure to card the under-21 crowd.

Casey had three drinks (marveling at the fact that he was only mildly buzzed after what would be a lethal amount of alcohol for a human) before the first hand fell on his shoulder. Casey looked into the face of a handsome Hawaiian boy in a muscle shirt.

"You're new here. I'm Danny."

"I'm new everywhere, but that's going to change. Casey."

"You look like you go to the gym a lot, Casey. So do I. You know why?"

"So your dates will be cooperative for once?"

Danny's smile slipped a notch. "Uh, no. Dude, I have the body of an Olympic athlete."

"I hope his family doesn't miss him. When it rots, will you throw it away?"

Danny's face closed up, and he made to leave. "You just had to say 'not interested' asshole."

Casey grabbed Danny's arm. "I like the persistent type."

Danny looked back at him, then grinned. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I don't know, can you?" Casey couldn't resist snarking him just one more time.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Just drink it and shut up. How much alcohol do I need to give you before you're drunk enough to come home with me?"

"There isn't enough alcohol in the world," Casey said truthfully, looking at the cranberry and vodka Danny slid in front of him. "but let's go anyway. My place. That cool?"

"Yeah, sure. You have family? Roommates? Or can we make some noise?"

"Roommates, but they won't mind the noise. They're hard of hearing."


	4. Chapter 4

Danny groaned, and he was unsure which of several painful phenomena he was groaning at. They were, in no particular order: sunlight stabbing into his eyes, the scratches on his back, the scratches on his front, the scratches on his side, the hangover, the headache or the ringing in his ears. He decided several more groans were called for to show all of his torments that he cared about them equally. Then he managed to stand while the bedroom whirled quietly about his head. He swayed on his feet for a moment, righted himself, then went completely off balance as reality suddenly lurched off to the side as if remembering it left the iron plugged in at home. Danny didn't know which direction the floor was in, but it was rushing to greet him like a long lost friend… driving Mack truck.

Three pairs of arms suddenly steadied him, and Danny tried not to go limp as the three kind souls led him to the bathroom to kneel at the Porcelain Altar so he could pay his respects to the gods of intoxication.

"You're hot, but you can't hold your liquor." said the three people, handing him a bottle of Gatorade and some aspirin. That was amazing how all three people could speak in the same voice at the same time…

Danny groaned again as the images resolved into a single Casey whose grin was only slightly less manic than the night before. There were also these alien emotions written there like concern and empathy.

Casey helped Danny to his feet once more, and watched amusedly as Danny rubbed his eyes and took in his reflection in the mirror.

"Holy _shit!_ What the hell did we do last night, screw under a combine?"

"Sorry, hula-boy. That was my first time getting laid, and I wanted to make it memorable. Get it? Lei-d?"

Danny groaned once more. "One more joke like that and you'll get a Hawaiian punch."

"Ha-ha. Look, have a seat on the john while I get some antiseptic. Don't hate me for the pain that's coming your way." Casey began rummaging in the medicine cabinet.

"Too late." Danny said forbiddingly. Casey heard the skip in his heartbeat, however.

"Seriously…I had a great time. Hope you did too." Casey hesitated, holding the damp cottonball while Danny thought about how to respond.

"I did. It was sex like a goddamn roller coaster…especially with me screaming the whole way down. Never had an experience like that before. Not sure if I could handle it again though. Um…"

Casey's thrill at hearing Danny's response turned into sudden nervousness.

"Yeah?" Damn, his voice actually cracked.

Danny bit his lip. "I'd like to see you again. I mean, I don't usually do this, you know…hookup thing." Danny couldn't bring himself to look at Casey's face.

"Gotten the brushoff a few times, have you?" Casey asked softly.

"I don't know what it is about me. I'm good enough for a fu-" he sighed. "But guys don't see me as boyfriend material."

"Guys are fucking stupid." Casey said softly, finally applying the antiseptic to the worst of the scratches. Danny hissed, and Casey felt a sharp stab of unfamiliar compassion.

"What are you saying?" Danny asked, controlling the hissing as he adjusted to the stinging.

"I'm saying 'go out with me'. Duh."

Danny looked up at him, and for a few minutes, they became lost in each other's eyes.

"Look…there's something you should know about me…" Casey began slowly.

"Don't tell me you have crabs…or worse."

"No, no crabs. Maybe fleas though…"

_"Fleas?"_

"Shit. What if I told you I was a creature of the night, cursed forever to be an inhuman beast until true love gives me back my soul?"

"I'd say that you were on crack and that you watch too many Twilight movies."

"I'm a werewolf. Hence, the scratches."

"Bullshit. Prove it."

Casey held up a clawed hand.

Danny stared for about a minute, then nodded his head.

"You swear that you are dead serious, and that I'm not being 'Punk'd' or passed out on GHB on the floor of a rave somewhere?"

"I swear."

"Can I catch it? We weren't exactly practicing safe sex."

"Not from me. Two of my roommates can give it though."

Danny nodded again, then went back to kneeling and threw up again.

Casey felt that it was the best date ever.

{}{}{}{}

Jackson arrived to find Isaac, Derek and Peter sitting in the backyard looking like sleepless zombies.

"What's _with_ you guys?"

Then Jackson's keen ears picked up on the voices in the house.

His eyes suddenly shot blue fire.

{}{}{}{}

Casey threw a pair of shorts to Danny after he finished his crash course on Lycanthropy. "Don't bother getting overdressed, I like looking at you. Besides, I got a little private physical training thing going on today, so we'll all be in shorts."

Danny put on the shorts and his sneakers and they went to raid the kitchen.

"Yeah, but I'll be the only one that looks like he got clawed by Freddy Kruger."

"Heh, not for long. Today, I'm going to mess up Whittemore's pretty face, but good."

Danny froze. "_Jackson's here?"_

"Yeah, you know him?" Casey quirked an eyebrow.

Then the backdoor slammed open, and an enraged and monstrous Jackson flew at Casey. Derek, completely devolved into his Alpha form, crashed through the door a second later and tackled Jackson to the floor. It took all of the Alpha's strength, not to mention shouting continual commands into the furious Beta's mind to subdue him. Peter came next (only partially shifted) and took up a defensive stance to block Casey from getting to Jackson…not that Casey seemed to have any inclination to do so.

"What is he, on the rag or something?" Casey calmly asked.

"You two. Outside. _Now_." Peter growled.

{}{}{}{}

Casey pulled a shaking Danny out into the yard, followed closely by Peter.

"Why did Jacks attack you like that? When did _he_ become a werewolf?"

"_Jacks?_ Ok, mental note: totally make fun of him for that later."

Danny gave him a sour look. "Lay off him. You don't know what kind of life he's had, what he's been through."

Casey looked startled. A stab of jealousy spiked through his chest. "You two were an item?" he asked quietly.

Danny's eyes got wide. "No, dumbass. He's straight." Danny's heartbeat was steady. That proved only that Danny believed it, however.

"Then why did he come at me like I was boning his wife?"

"Maybe he didn't like the claw-marks. Look, he's protected me my whole life. It wasn't easy for him always hanging with 'the gay kid'. He took that flak and never complained once. I can never repay him for that. So again, I say 'lay off him'."

Casey opened his mouth to respond, when he saw Peter shake his head ever so slightly. For a miracle, he thought before he spoke.

"Ok, I will. For you. But he better back off too. He's tough, but I'll have his number soon enough."

"Daniel, is it? My name is Peter, and I will never sleep again without being reminded of the sounds you two were making last night."

Danny blushed. Casey, of course, smirked.

Peter continued. "You are taking all of this remarkably well, and for that I commend you. I need to ask you to keep the secret that this extremely irresponsible Beta has let you in on. No one is to know who, and especially _what_ we are. Will you keep this to yourself? I should let you know we can hear lies."

Danny looked offended. "Of course, I would never 'out' you guys. I hate people that do that.

Peter looked startled, and Casey laughed. "He knows you meant the werewolf thing, Pete."

Derek emerged from the house with a human-looking (but still furious) Jackson.

"Danny, what are you doing with this douchebag? What the _hell_ did he do to you?"

"My private life is my business, Jacks. I don't tell _you_ who to date. We just got a little carried away."

"You deserve better than him, Dan. There are plenty of normal guys in Beacon Hills…why him?"

Casey chuckled. "Too late, Whittemore. He's all mine. Once you go Pack, you never go back."

"Oh my God, Casey...is there anything I can do to keep you from talking?" Danny was smiling, however. No one had ever referred to him as 'all theirs'. "And Jackson, when were you going to tell me? Did you think I wouldn't understand or that I wouldn't help you?"

Jackson's face went from furious to nervous in a moment.

"I was going to tell you, but there was some stuff I had to deal with first."

"Fair enough. But one night this week you are coming over my house and telling me everything. Casey, I'm gonna take a rain check on watching you train and head home. Call me later."

"You're really gonna pass up the chance to watch a bunch of hot shirtless dudes fighting?" Casey joked.

"When you put it that way, it's pretty tempting..." Danny smirked. "…but only one guy here turns me on and I'll have him to myself later. Jacks, Isaac, I'll see you at practice. Peter, Miguel…it was nice meeting you."

Casey looked at Derek. "_Miguel?"_

Derek rolled his eyes. "Long story. Let's get started."

{}{}{}{}

By the end of the training session, Jackson and Casey showed themselves to be pretty evenly matched, and Isaac was catching up slowly but surely. Peter and Derek trained them hard, knowing that the Alpha Pack could reappear at any moment. Scott showed up shortly after Danny left and agreed to train with them, also proving himself to be a capable fighter despite that he was not part of an official Pack. It mystified Peter and Derek; they just did not know where his strength came from. He was just not a typical Omega. Isaac and Jackson went off to get lunch, while Peter and Derek left to get some supplies to fortify the house against intrusion. Scott sat next to Casey on one of the lounge chairs drinking his sixth bottled water of the day.

"So, what's being in this Pack like? Have they driven you nuts yet?"

"Nah, other way around more like. Jackson and Isaac can't stand me, but Derek is pretty impressed and Peter's like my main man."

Scott scowled.

"Why don't you like him? Spill." Casey was defensive of Peter, but was curious to know why no one seemed to trust him.

Scott told him the full story from the beginning, starting from his unwilling turning and the murder of Laura Hale through trying to get Scott to kill his friends and take down the Argents and ending with Peter's resurrection and the whole Kanima/Matt/Gerard debacle.

Casey whistled. "Wouldn't make a bad replacement for _Buffy_ if it were a TV show. Pete did you dirty though, I'll give you that. Six years as a helpless cripple will bring out the worst in you. Take it from me." Casey briefly filled Scott in on his own history.

Scott was silent for a moment. "Peter once sank his claws into my neck and showed me what he went through…the fire, the hospital…I even felt the pain he was in. It was the most horrible experience of my life. It still doesn't excuse what he did to me and my friends though."

"No one said it did. But it does _explain_ it. If Kate Super-Bitch Argent had left well enough alone it would never have happened. Peter's not _evil_ Scott. But he is one wrathful mother-fucker. I totally get that. But he brought Derek to me and saved me from a living Hell. I owe him more than I will ever be able to repay. There's a good side to him."

"As long as you're not in his way."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, then Scott spoke again. "Listen Casey, Peter has made more than a few enemies. One day, someone is going to want payback. I could have killed him and become human, but that would have made me more of a monster than he is. There are people he hurt worse though. Make sure you don't get caught in the crossfire when they come for him. You…or the people you care about."

Casey looked startled for a moment.

"Shit," he said.

{}{}{}{}

Stiles walked through the woods around the Hale preserve, having left his Jeep behind since he was too afraid to catch a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror. He didn't know who's face would be looking back at him when he did. The crawling sensation in his skin had not stopped since he fled Lydia's home crying. He had stopped crying when he realized the tears were blue, but the despair was still there. He had a feeling it always would be.

Stiles looked around. Lydia's home was not far from here, but still invisible through the trees. It may as well be a million miles away. Lydia hated him, and never wanted to see him again. Stiles hurt her worse than Peter Hale ever had. Peter goddamned Hale. There was a guy who never seemed to feel doubt, remorse, guilt or regret. The fire had burned out his soul and now he was safe from all of the pain that was now crippling Stiles. How easy would it be to have no soul, no heart. You couldn't break what you didn't have. What he wouldn't give to be like Peter Hale right now.

The crawling sensation in his skin intensified for a few seconds, then faded away entirely.

His clothing was too tight. It constricted him enough to be painful. Stiles pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the side. The cuffs on his jeans now ended several inches above his ankle. Stiles pulled them off as well. Whoever he was, he was certainly taller now. He was tempted to find a pond or puddle to take a look, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Even his usual shyness about his body was gone…after all, it was no longer his body.

He started walking, and realized he was heading back towards Lydia's house only when he saw the back gate through the trees. He stopped, not wanting to see her…or worse, have her see him and get even angrier than she already was. A pissed off Lydia was something no sane person would ever want to face down. He looked up at her window, standing there in an unknown body dressed only in boxers and marveled at how strange the world could be. He thought he caught a glimpse of movement at the window, a flash of red, but it could have been his imagination. Stiles turned around and moved towards the woods. He caught the scent just a bit too late.

"So. I never expected to see you here, I thought I would have to come find you. This makes things so much easier."

Stiles turned around.

"Lydia, I…" He fell silent. What reason could he possibly offer for being here in his boxers looking at her house? At best, she would assume he was a pervert. At worst, she would shoot him.

"You hurt me, you bastard. And just recently, you have made my life a living nightmare. I hate you more than anyone else on this planet. You deserve to die."

Stiles looked at her, shocked. In that moment, he wished that he were dead.

He felt something vital disengage inside him…and he let himself go.

"And now I'm going to give you what you so richly deserve," she hissed at him. Lydia pursed her lips and took a deep breath. Before her eyes however, the image of Peter Hale that had dared to come to her home (in Scooby Doo boxers, the weirdo) suddenly melted into a pool of blue proto-matter.

"What the…oh, God! You're not Peter, you're Stiles!" The sudden terror that ripped through her soul took her by surprise. The idea of losing Stiles…of him _dying_ thinking that she hated him… undid every ounce of self-control that she possessed. She screamed and fell to her knees, gently touching the still pool with her finger.

"Stiles, please I didn't mean it, I thought you were Peter Hale! I was mad at you, but I would never say those things to you! Stiles, no…please…damnit…STILES, I LOVE YOU! _Please, I'll stay with you forever, just come back!"_

A ripple moved across the pool.

Lydia leaned over and caught sight of her reflection in the blue liquid. She watched her own face push out of the pool, taking on her own form and figure, the blue liquid fading into pale skin and flaming hair. For a moment, there were two Lydias staring at each other as they knelt on the dirt and leaf strewn forest floor. Then the nearly naked Lydia (wearing only a pair of Scooby-Doo boxers) suddenly morphed back into Stiles Stilinski. He sat there, shaking, lips trembling, eyes leaking tears, nearly out of his mind with confusion and terror, all of which disappeared when Lydia threw her arms around him and kissed him full on the lips.

He was too shocked to respond for a few moments, then his arms went around her and he returned the kiss with passion. Electricity shot through her body, her hair was practically standing on end. She had no idea it would be like this. She fumbled with the buttons on her $1,000 Reed Krakoff blouse, then said 'the hell with it' and ripped it off, colored buttons flying every which way.

Stiles gazed at her as if she were the only thing in the universe worth wanting, and didn't quite dare to ask her if she were sure she wanted to do this. One did not question the goddess, one merely obeyed her will. He moved his hands to cup her breasts through her bra, and she thrilled at his touch, wondering if hers were the first ones he had ever felt, and she delighted in the wicked delicious power one feels knowing you were about to destroy someone's innocence forever. His hands (incredibly well formed and masculine, now that she took the time to notice them) glided slowly around her back and deftly unhooked her bra. He shuddered looking at her, this dream made real, afraid she would pop like a soap bubble if he dared look too long. She felt his own thin frame then (not so thin anymore…shifting shapes so much was definitely improving his physique), and felt the firm muscles beneath the skin that suddenly bunched under her fingers. She was suddenly on her back, and he on top of her and their clothes were gone, the moment of truth finally here. Though Lydia was not a virgin, she felt the same as she did that long ago night…about to do something she had never imagined doing, unable to imagine what it would be like.

He sank on her, sank into her, and she cried out in sheer carnal want. Stiles took his time, learning each nuance of her pleasure with the rapidity of a child genius learning particle physics, using each bit of that learning in cumulatively more imaginative ways that both shocked and thrilled her. He seemed to view his own pleasure as unimportant as he made her body explode with spectacular sensation. At last, when she was begging and pleading with him that it was too much for her to stand any longer, he brought her off in the most jolting series of climaxes she'd had in her life. She curled into him then as he lay on his back, she biting into his shoulder and forcing thoughts of Jackson, tomorrow and the world from her thoughts.

"Stiles…did you…_you know_?" she hated to think of him unsatisfied.

"Yeah, about fifteen seconds in. I just kept going. This condition has some perks."

She burst out laughing, and he joined her.

"Lydia…"

"Stiles, if you love me as much as you've been saying, then prove it by being quiet. Let's just enjoy this for now."

Stiles could do nothing but obey.

{}{}{}{}

Jackson watched them until it became unbearable, then turned and left. It hardly surprised him. Since the night he had awakened as a werewolf, he had barely spoken to Lydia while he wallowed in his pit of self-hatred. He felt unworthy of her, unworthy of being a werewolf or being in Derek's Pack…unworthy of being alive. It was hard for him even to think of Lydia, of how perfect she was when compared to the train wreck he had become…a monster and a murderer. Though he was no longer a Kanima, he would always carry the burden of all the innocent lives he took. Lydia did not know about all the deaths…did not know he was responsible. There was no way she would ever stay with him when she found out. He had just decided to come over and tell her that they needed to call it quits…that he had too much to work on as a new werewolf and that he could not expect her to wait around for him forever.

But she had beaten him to the punch.

He was alone.

He got into the Porsche and drove off. The faces of his victims crowded his vision. When he hit the tree, he was doing upwards of eighty miles per hour.

{}{}{}{}

Isaac was on his way back to his own house and offered to drop Casey off at Danny's. They were almost at the Mahealani house when they spotted the crowd of people gathered around the car. Danny was there, and he looked to be having a nervous breakdown.

"Holy fuck…" Casey gasped. He was out of the car and over to Danny in a moment, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

Isaac parked the car and ran over to the wrecked Porsche.

"We can't get the door open. We'll have to wait for the ambulance so they can bring the Jaws of Life or something…" some guy was saying.

"Or not." Isaac pulled the door off in a terrible screech of metal. The airbag obscured Jackson from view, so Isaac punctured it with his claws. Jackson was unconscious but breathing, and the blood was already starting to seep back into the wounds on his face which closed up without a trace.

Isaac irritably yanked out the steering column so his crushed lower body could begin repairs. Jackson's eyes fluttered open.

"Jacks…what happened?" Isaac whispered to him.

Jackson looked up at him. "What I was always afraid of. I'm alone. Danny's with Casey. Lydia's with Stiles. And I see dead people." He began to laugh, and Isaac feared that his sanity had cracked.

"Aw, hell. I'm sorry."

"S'alright. She's better off with him. No one deserves to be saddled with me."

By the time the ambulance arrived, Jackson was pulling himself out of the mangled vehicle.

Derek, Peter, Scott, Lydia and Stiles appeared and watched in silence as Jackson was loaded into the ambulance.

Lydia moved forward, but Isaac got in the way.

"Don't, Lydia. Just don't." He climbed into the ambulance after Jackson, and it raced to the hospital, sirens blaring.

Lydia looked on the point of crying herself when she suddenly spotted Peter Hale. She broke away from Stiles and walked over to him.

He looked at her condescendingly.

"Ah, the trials and tribulations of young love. You, my dear, are a heartbreaker."

Lydia suddenly shoved Peter as hard as she could. She barely moved him. He gave her a surprised grin.

"Really? Come now, no sense in losing your temper. That never does any good."

Lydia gave him a smile that was so chillingly evil that Peter nearly shifted right then and there.

"If you and I were alone, I'd show you what happens when I _really_ lose my temper. There are just too many people around now that might get hurt. But one day…very soon now…_I will find you_, Peter Hale. Then we'll see what kind of pain I can…whistle up…for you."

All of the color drained out of Peter's face.

"N-n-n-n-now L-l-lydia…I've been meaning to have a ch-chat with you one of these d-days…it seems we g-got off on the wrong foot…"

"Save it." Lydia rejoined Stiles. The Sheriff was there as well, questioning everybody and getting statements.

"What was that all about? Why are you so terrified of Lydia?" asked Derek.

Peter got himself under control with an effort.

"Nothing, nephew. It seems my backup plan has a bit of a hitch in it. Nothing I can't take care of, however." Peter turned and left them, vanishing into the night. Derek stared after him in confusion.

Casey looked at the wrecked car, cold fear running through him as old memories returned. He didn't particularly like Jackson, but no one should suffer that much pain. At least Jackson was guaranteed to recover from his injuries; he wouldn't be stuck in the living hell that Casey had lived in for years.

Danny tugged on his sleeve. "Casey, I know we were supposed to hang out to night, but I have to be there for him."

Casey nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll go with you."

Danny looked surprised, perhaps expecting jealousy or anger.

"You don't have to do that for me…" he began.

Casey shook his head. "I do, but not just for you. It's for him, too. He's in my Pack after all. C'mon, let's go."

Derek overheard this, and gave an inner sigh of relief. If this brought his Betas together, it may have just been worth it. He watched them get in Danny's car and take off.

Stiles walked Lydia home, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. Derek stared after them, wondering what Peter was up to with her. When the tow truck hauled away the Porsche and the crowd dispersed, Scott and Derek were the only ones left.

"I called my mother to let her know Jackson was on his way in. She'll make sure no one notices anything weird about his recovery."

"Tell her I owe her one."

They looked around at the thousands of pieces of shattered glass.

"Things just keep happening." Scott said aloud to no one.

"This had to do with very human feelings, Scott. I knew Jackson was in pain…but I never expected this."

Scott saw the stricken look on Derek's face.

"You care about him. You actually care. Is it because he's in your Pack now?"

"This may come as a great shock to you Scott, but I don't _want_ to see any of you get hurt. But with the enemies we have, there's just no avoiding it. Every single thing I ever did was to try and end it, to end all the wars between the wolves and the Hunters and the Alpha Pack. I feel like I put out one fire only to have three more spring up in its place. Yes, I killed Peter to become an Alpha. Yes, I recruited to make myself stronger. I wanted enough power to end it once and for all…I'm starting to think that it's just impossible, and I don't know what to do about it. You were right about me when you said that I was using people to get what I wanted…but I just didn't see any other way."

"We aren't soldiers, Derek. We're kids. We get recruited because the life you and Peter offer seems so much better than what we have. No adult would fall for your line the way we do. I don't kid myself for a minute that if Peter Hale sat down and explained to me the benefits of being a werewolf that I wouldn't have jumped at the chance…at least until I found out what he wanted me for. It's just too much for us to handle. Look at us! We can barely handle High School! We flunk out! We drive cars into trees when we get dumped by our girlfriends! We have so many issues that half of us don't even become proper werewolves; we become Kanimas and Skinwalkers and who knows what else!"

Derek slowly turned to look at Scott.

"Lydia. His backup plan." Derek looked up at the sky. "Oh my God, Peter…what did you do?"

"What about Lydia?" Scott asked, bewildered.

{}{}{}{}

Jackson was admitted to the emergency room where his clothes were quickly cut away. Melissa disposed of the clothing and did her best to wipe the blood from Jackson's body. She was practically done when Dr. LaMar came in. Melissa hissed at Jackson to pretend he was unconscious while LaMar scrubbed his hands.

"Heard Whittemore's boy totaled that fancy ride of his. If he doesn't walk out of here in perfect health, the old man will buy this hospital and fire us all! What's his condition?"

"Today's your lucky day Dr. LaMar, and Jackson's as well. Barely a scratch on him. Those airbags are something else!"

Dr. LaMar checked Jackson over, breathed a sigh of relief and ordered a battery of tests (all of which Melissa planned to sabotage) and bedrest.

{}{}{}{}

Isaac, Casey and Danny made themselves comfortable in the torture chamber known as the Waiting Room. Melissa came out and told them that not only would Jackson be all right, but she was covering for his 'unique condition' as well.

"Scott has no idea how lucky he is, to still have a mother and for her to be that awesome." Isaac stated, looking after her.

Casey nodded. "I'll say. I lost my mother when I was young too, the same accident that took away my legs. She would have totally covered for us too…after she had a nervous breakdown that werewolves existed."

They all chuckled for a few seconds.

"Jackson will be all right? I mean, you guys have super healing, right?" Danny asked nervously.

"Yeah. It's what is going on in his head I'm worried about. He saw Lydia with Stiles and that sent him over the edge, on top of the self-loathing and guilt from getting used as an attack dog by Matt and Gerard."

Isaac and Casey filled Danny in on what Jackson had been through. Danny was horrified.

"_What is wrong with people?"_ he wondered aloud.

No one had an answer.

They were allowed to visit after the initial tests had been run. Jackson sat up in his hospital bed, not meeting any of their eyes. Danny hugged him, then threatened to put him back in a hospital himself if Jackson ever tried anything like that again.

Jackson looked surprised to see Casey there.

"Hey Abercrombie, if you hated the Porsche so much, you could have just given it to me." Casey joked.

"Don't call me Abercrombie, asshole. And I'd rather smash it into a tree then let you have it." Jackson chuckled.

"Look, I know we didn't get along at first…but I want us to be friends."

"I'd like that too. Sorry about getting on your case about Danny…he is my best friend after all."

Isaac flinched, but no one noticed.

Casey chuckled. "Well, he's my boyfriend now, so we'll have to draw up a schedule about who gets him…let me see, I want every other weekend and at least three weekdays during the week…you can have him for holidays…oof!"

Danny elbowed him in the stomach.

"You guys are such assholes." Danny deadpanned.

"I'm sorry. I know how this looks…but I didn't get in my car intending to hit a tree. I was just…a little overwhelmed." Jackson didn't have the words to explain it.

"At what?" Isaac asked.

"I thought I was alone."

"Yeah, that's you…Mr. Unpopular." Danny said. "I hate when you get all self-pitying, Jacks. That's all in your head."

"You don't know what I did. If you knew, you wouldn't…"

"I know. _We_ know. We're still here." Danny told him firmly.

"I told him, and Casey already knew. Sorry if that upsets you, but your friends can't help you if they don't know what's going on." Isaac looked fearful, as if Jackson would order him out of the room.

Jackson lay in stunned silence. He didn't know what to say.

"Guys, would it be okay if I had some time alone with him? There's some things I need to talk to him about." Isaac knew he was asking a lot, especially of Danny, but the Hawaiian boy just nodded and grabbed a surprised Casey's hand and pulled him out of the room.

"Huh? We're leaving? Oh, later Abercrombie! Later, bi-oof!"

Casey gave another pained gasp as Danny elbowed him again.

"Jackson, you seriously have to help me get good enough to clobber him one of these days." Isaac growled.

"I will. He's a jerk, but he's starting to grow on me. I already like him better than Scott."

Isaac snickered.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Isaac?"

"There's something I need to tell you. Seeing you almost dead tonight made me think there's not ever going to be some magical 'right moment'.

Jackson's eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"Look, I'm not expecting anything back. I just wanted to say it. I hope it doesn't make our friendship weird. I know you're not…that way; if you were you and Danny would have been married years ago…"

Jackson started laughing. "Danny's my friend, my best friend!" Isaac flinched again, and this time Jackson noticed it.

"Oh, crap Isaac…it's just because I've known Danny so much longer and you and I just started getting along…"

Isaac stood up, looking anywhere but at Jackson.

"Look, maybe I better go. I just fuck everything up wherever I go. I'm better off alone." He moved towards the door when Jackson suddenly hopped out of bed (nearly yanking the IV out of his arm), hospital nightgown flaring open in the back.

"Isaac, please don't leave me like that…I couldn't take it right now…not tonight…" Jackson hugged a startled Isaac.

"Yeah, yeah, all right, I'll stay…I didn't mean to upset you bro." Guilt twisted in Isaac's gut.

Jackson gave a great shuddering sigh of relief and got back into bed.

Isaac took the chair by Jackson's bedside preparing himself for a long and uncomfortable night. "Goodnight, man." Isaac gave Jackson's arm a single pat, and jumped when Jackson clasped Isaac's hand in his own. The two teens fell asleep, and their dreams were not as dark as they might have been this night. They never let go, right up until Jackson's parents walked into the room.

{}{}{}{}

Stiles spent the night at Lydia's. She felt grief over Jackson and her own part in it…she wanted badly to see him in the hospital, but knew it would only cause more problems. This time, she just couldn't save him. She did love him…that had not changed. But she loved Stiles too. It was different than how it was with Jackson, but no less powerful. She had briefly wondered what it would be like to have both of them as boyfriends, maybe even…but no, that was way too _Fifty Shades of Grey_ for Lydia.

It seemed Fate had made her decision for her…and Stiles would have died otherwise.

"So, did you at least get cured of being a Skinwalker?" she asked, just to have something to talk about. Anything Jackson-related was taboo tonight, and he seemed to know it.

"No, I don't think so." Stiles shimmered…he became Scott, then Isaac, then Derek, then morphed back to Stiles. "But I do have control over it now. I guess that's progress."

"Oooh, I have _got_ to get you to shake hands with Zac Efron…and the entire cast of _Vampire Diaries_." Lydia told him.

"Oh, my God I hope you're kidding." Stiles was horrified. Lydia decided she loved that look on him.

{}{}{}{}

The doorbell rang, and Chris Argent wondered who it could possibly be at this hour of the night. He opened it to find two people he had never expected to see again in his life.

"Boyd. Erica. What can I do for you?" he asked.


End file.
